Applecrest Farm Orchards facts for kids
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| Industry | Orchard and farm |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1913 |
| Founder | Walter Baldwin |
| Headquarters | Hampton Falls, New Hampshire, U.S. |
| Products | Apples, peaches, corn, and vegetables |
| Owner | Peter Wagner |
Applecrest Farm Orchards is a famous apple orchard located in Hampton Falls, New Hampshire. It's also known as Applecrest Orchards or just Applecrest. This farm is special because it's the oldest and biggest apple orchard in New Hampshire. It's also the oldest apple orchard in the entire United States that has been open non-stop since it started in 1913!
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The Story of Applecrest Farm
The land where Applecrest Orchards stands today has a long history. It was first settled way back in 1665 by a man named James Prescott. He had moved there from England. At that time, his land was part of a bigger town called Hampton.
James Prescott lived on the farm in a special house called a garrison house. This house was built strong like a fort. It helped protect him because there were some disagreements with the local Native American groups. Later, in 1679, Hampton and other towns became part of a new area called the Province of New Hampshire.
James Prescott moved away in 1725. His grandson, Ebenezer Prescott, later inherited the large piece of land. Around this time, Hampton Falls became its own separate town.
New Owners and a New Beginning
In 1774, Aaron Wells bought the land from Ebenezer's family. His daughter, Eunice, married Newell Healey. Their son, Wells Healey, took over the farm in 1819 after his grandfather died. Wells Healey married Elizabeth Pickering.
Then, in 1913, a man named Walter Baldwin Farmer bought the farm with his wife, Gertrude, and their two daughters. They moved from Massachusetts. Walter Farmer had a big dream to turn the land into a successful business. He bought more land nearby. He also worked hard to improve the land, even using dynamite to clear big rocks! He learned all about how to take care of trees.
This is when the first apple trees were planted. This was the true start of Applecrest Farm Orchards. Walter Farmer spent the first ten years waiting for the thousands of apple trees he planted to grow big enough to produce fruit. During this time, he earned money from nearly 200 chicken houses on the farm.
Many of the buildings you see at Applecrest today are very old. For example, the farm market was built in 1812. The house where the Wagner family lives was built in 1815.
After Walter Farmer passed away, the farm was sold a couple of times. In 1954, William L. and Jean Wagner from New York bought the orchard. Even though they didn't know much about apple trees at first, they decided to learn and keep the business going. The Wagner family still owns and runs Applecrest today! When Bill Wagner died in 1984, Jean continued to run the farm by herself.
Changes Over Time
In 1985, Applecrest Farm was very large, covering about 500 acres (about 2 square kilometers). Over the years, some parts of the land were sold. This helped the farm focus on its main orchard business. For example, some land was sold to build houses. By 2014, Applecrest was about 124 acres (about 0.5 square kilometers) in size.
The Wagners also used to run two other markets called Applemart. These markets were in Hampton Falls and Amesbury, Massachusetts. They closed in 2004. In 2005, Jean and Bill's sons, Ben and Peter Wagner, owned the farm. In 2006, Peter Wagner became the sole owner of Applecrest.
To celebrate Applecrest's 100th birthday, the farm announced a new "farm-to-table" restaurant. This means that all the food served there would be grown or raised right on their own property! This project was finished by the end of 2014.
What Applecrest Grows
Applecrest Farm Orchards grows many different kinds of fruits and vegetables.
- They grow about 40,000 bushels of apples each year.
- They have more than 40 different types of apples! Some popular kinds include McIntosh, Cortland, Macoun, Ida Red, and Red Delicious.
- Besides apples, they also grow various vegetables, sweet corn, and delicious peaches.
